Interview with Phillip Wilson, September 15, 2022

Project: Peace Corps: The Returned Peace Corps Volunteer Oral History Project

Interview Summary

Philip Wilson served in Kenya, 1967-1968, in education. When eight, Philip contracted polio, leaving him without the use of his arms and left hand. During training at Columbia in NYC, Philip was advised the Kenya Consulate rejected him as a schoolteacher. Peace Corps Kenya found him a position in a non-government-supported Harambee school (“pull together” or self-help school), Kanjuri, near Nyeri. There Philip taught English and history to 100 boys. Initially Philip was approved for “limited duty.” He came to view this ironically as he worked a full schedule in a school without amenities. He is proud that his students did well. Philip met his wife in Kenya. In 2008, he returned to his site and participated in an assembly with his former headmaster where they advocated for educating disabled children. Though challenging, Philip said he gained self-confidence in PC and “was more able” when he returned home.

Interview Accession

2022oh1678_pcrv0648

Interviewee Name

Phillip Wilson

Interviewer Name

Joyce L. Jenkins

Interview Date

2022-09-15

Interview Rights

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Wilson, Phillip Interview by Joyce L. Jenkins. 15 Sep. 2022. Lexington, KY: Louie B. Nunn Center for Oral History, University of Kentucky Libraries.

Wilson, P. (2022, September 15). Interview by J. L. Jenkins. Peace Corps: The Returned Peace Corps Volunteer Oral History Project. Louie B. Nunn Center for Oral History, University of Kentucky Libraries, Lexington.

Wilson, Phillip, interview by Joyce L. Jenkins. September 15, 2022, Peace Corps: The Returned Peace Corps Volunteer Oral History Project, Louie B. Nunn Center for Oral History, University of Kentucky Libraries.





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